1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thrust bearing including a back metal layer and a sliding layer joined to a front surface of the back metal layer, and also relates to a thrust bearing suitable for use in a crank shaft or a turbocharger of an internal combustion engine or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
As conventional thrust bearings for use in crank shafts of internal combustion engines, sliding bearing has been used which includes a bearing alloy layer made of white metal, a copper alloy, an aluminum alloy, or the like, and a back metal layer for enhancing strength of the bearing (see JP-A-06-192774, for example). Such a thrust bearing for a crank shaft is constituted by a two-piece half-cut thrust bearing, one piece of which is mounted to a cylinder block, and the other piece of which is mounted to a bearing cap. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5 of JP-A-11-201145, in a bearing housing including a bearing cap mounted under a cylinder block, a seat receiver formed into a circular recessed portion is produced, and a thrust bearing for receiving a thrust collar of the crank shaft is disposed on this seat receiver so as to receive thrust load of the crank shaft on the thrust bearing.